Dentures

ABSTRACT

Bimetallic strip material is embedded in a somewhat flexible denture to cause the denture to better hug the gums of the wearer under the action of body heat.

United States Patent Powell 1451 Apr. 25, 1972 [54] DENTURES References Cited [72] Inventor: Douglas W. Powell, 9 Chapman Place, lr- UNITED STATES PATENTS 11 1,589,173 6/1926 Hanke ..32/2 [22] Filed: Apr. 22, 1971 3,354,547 11/1967 K001 .32/3

[21 1 P NOJ 136,357 Primary Examiner-Robert Peshock Anomey-Rudolph J. Jun'ck [52] [1.5. CI ..32/2 51 1111. C1 v. .A6lc13/00 [57] SIRACT [58] Field 01 Search ..32/2, 3 Bimetallic strip material is embedded in a somewhat flexible denture to cause the denture to better hug the gums of the wearer under the action of body heat.

4 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTEU APR 25 1912 3. 657 815 DOUGLAS W. POWELL INVENTOR.

I z 3 I DENTURES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Various arrangements have been proposed to overcome the problem of dentures becoming loose during normal use thereof. Certain prior arrangements include mechanical clamping mechanisms, or permanent magnets. In other prior arrangements, the portion of the denture which engages the side of the gum is made of a yieldable material and undersized, thereby requiring a pressure to position the denture on the gums. The prior arrangements have not met with acceptance as they are uncomfortable to wear and/or the means relied upon to retain the denture firmly in place degenerates with use. It is, therefore, the common practice to retain dentures in place by means of a powder or paste applied over substantially the entire inner surface area of the denture, which arrangement requires a routine, daily procedure.

Dentures constructed and arranged in accordance with this invention overcome the shortcomings of prior dentures in that they are easy to position in place, are comfortable to wear and provide an automatic gum-hugging action.

SUMMARY OF THE. INVENTION The denture is made of a slightly flexible material. Small strips of bimetal material are embedded in the outer flanges of the upper denture and in both the inner and outer flanges of the lower denture. In each case, the bimetal material flexes toward the wearers gums, with a limited movement at any temperature over approximately 50 F.

An object of this invention is the provision of an improved denture having means which automatically causes the denture to hug the gums after the denture has been positioned in the mouth.

An object of this invention is the provision of a denture made of a flexible material having pieces of bimetal material embedded therein, said material flexing to bring the flanges of the denture into firm engagement with the gums under body temperature.

The above-stated and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description when taken with the accompanying drawings. It will be understood, however, that the drawings are for purposes of illustration and are not to be construed as defining the scope or limits of the invention, reference being had for the latter purpose to the claims appended hereto.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings wherein like reference characters denote like parts in the several views.

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a pair of dentures made in accordance with this invention, with portions of each denture broken away to show the bimetallic strips;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 22 of FIG. I, and drawn to an enlarged scale; and

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 1 and drawn to an enlarged scale.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings, a set of upper and lower dentures are identified by the reference numerals l0 and 11, respectively. The upper teeth 12 are partially embedded in a relatively thick body 13, in accordance with conventional practice, said body terminating in an upwardly directed flange portion 14 which is adapted to engage the outer surface of the upper gums when the denture is positioned in the mouth. Embedded in this flange portion are a plurality of spaced bimetallic strips 15. The body 13 and the flange portion 14 comprise a unitary molding of a suitable material, preferably a plastic having a characteristic such that the flange portion 14 is slightly flexible. The bimetallic strips are of rectangular shape with the upper ends thereof spaced a minimum practical distance from the free end of the flange portion I4. The denture IS made to fit a particular patient and the bimetallic strips are arranged to flex the flange portion toward the gum at any temperature over approximately 50 F. Thus, a short time after the denture is placed into the mouth, the body temperature of approximately 98 F will cause the flange portion to grip the gum of the wearer. In order to provide increased resistance to slippage, the inner wall of the flange portion may be provided with one or more ridges 16, as shown in the enlarged cross-sectional view of FIG. 2, said ridges preferably extending the full length of the flange portion. Rinsing the mouth with cold water will cause the flange portion to flex away from the gum, for easy removal from the mouth.

The teeth 17 of the lower denture 11 are partially embedded in a body which terminates in two parallel flange portions 18 and 19. This denture is made of the same material as the upper denture l0 and a plurality of bimetallic strips 20 are embedded in each of the flange portions. As shown in the enlarged cross-sectional view of FIG. 3, the inner wall of each of the flange portions 18 and 19 may be provided with longitudinally extending ridges 21. When positioned on the lower gum, the body temperature causes the bimetallic strips to flex, thereby flexing the flange portions toward each other, resulting in a firm grip on the gum.

Dentures made as described hereinabove, initially provide a snug fit on the gums of the wearer and, also, compensate for the looseness of fit which would otherwise develop over a period of time, due to shrinkage of the gums.

Having now described the invention what I desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is set forth in the following claims.

1. A denture comprising,

a. a flexible flange portion for engaging the gum; and

b. a bimetallic material embedded in the said flange portion,

said material being oriented to flex the flange portion toward the gum at body temperature.

2. The invention as recited in claim 1 wherein the said bimetallic material comprises a plurality of spaced strips substantially evenly distributed along the said flange portion.

3. The invention as recited in claim 2, including integral ridges formed on the inner surface of the said flange portion.

4. The invention as recited in claim 3, wherein said ridges extend longitudinally along substantially the entire length of the flange portion. 

1. A denture comprising, a. a flexible flange portion for engaging the gum; and b. a bimetallic material embedded in the said flange portion, said material being oriented to flex the flange portion toward the gum at body temperature.
 2. The invention as recited in claim 1 wherein the said bimetallic material comprises a plurality of spaced strips substantially evenly distributed along the said flange portion.
 3. The invention as recited in claim 2, including integral ridges formed on the inner surface of the said flange portion.
 4. The invention as recited in claim 3, wherein said ridges extend longitudinally along substantially the entire length of the flange portion. 